The Pitt-Bradford women’s basketball team is set to begin a
new season under second year head coach Patrick Daniel. The Panthers finished
preseason exhibition matches when Alfred University came to town on Friday,
Nov. 8.

Pitt-Bradford was picked to finish third by the Allegheny
Mountain Collegiate Conference, a step up from their fourth place finish a year
ago.

The Panthers return first-team All-AMCC performer in junior
forward Alicia Kimmel. Kimmel, who started all 25 games for the Panthers a year
ago, led the team and the league in free throw percentage at 86.5 percent.

She finished with the best single season free throw
percentage in school history. Kimmel ranked in the top 10 in the AMCC in points
per game (4th), field goal percentage (6th) and free
throw percentage.

“Alicia is a tremendous player and leader for our basketball
team,” said head coach Patrick Daniel. “Her work ethic and drive to succeed
will help dictate the success of this year’s team.”

Alongside Kimmel will be senior forward Geena Sneeringer. Sneeringer, a third-team All-AMCC selection in
2012-13, enters the season as the only senior on the squad.

She started in 23 games last season and played in all but
one contest. Sneeringer ended the year second on the team in scoring with 12.1
points per game. On January 19, in a 74-38 victory over Penn State Altoona, she
set a school record for most steals in a game with 11.

Sophomore Abby Brate returns to the lineup this year after
playing in all 25 contests a year ago and starting all but one. Brate led the
team in assists with 3.0 per game, and she finished second on the team in
steals with 2.79 per game.

Allison Osborne heads into her sophomore campaign with
significant playing time under her belt. Osborne had a career high 57.4 percent
shooting in three point field goals during a Feb. 13 matchup with Medaille. She
clocked in 718 minutes on the court, good for fourth on the team.

The headline entering this season will be the debut of
highly touted freshman guard Kaserra Owens. Owens, a Bradford native, enters
her freshman season having become a member of the 1,000-point club at Bradford
High School. She finished with 1,020 points in her high school career, while
averaging 3.6 steals per game. She was a four-year member of the varsity squad.

“Kaserra will be a wonderful addition to this year’s team,”
said Daniel. “Her offensive skills and improvement on the defensive end were
the main reasons we wanted her here at Pitt-Bradford.”

Junior forward Carly Dalton contributed significantly as a
sophomore. Dalton played in all 25 games and cracked the starting-five in seven
of them. She averaged 5.2 points per game and 2.8 rebounds.

Coach Daniel and his squad have set high expectations based
upon last year’s success. Heading into this season, the team has adopted the
motto ‘unfinished business’, based on the results of last season. Daniel knows
his players are willing and ready to accept the challenges ahead.

“The expectations for this year are very high coming off of
one of the most successful seasons in Pitt-Bradford history,” said Daniel. “But
this year’s team must realize they need to create their own identity and not
rest upon the accomplishments of last year. We believe we can compete for a
conference championship, but every day we must work hard and put in the effort
in order to achieve the goals we set forth.”

Pitt-Bradford hits the road on Friday, Nov. 15, as they
travel to York, Pa., to take part in the York College Coaches vs. Cancer
Tournament. The Panthers play tournament-host York College at 6 p.m. on Friday
as the 2013-14 season gets underway.